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Journal of Clinical Medicine Apr 2024: Numerous studies have aimed to predict prenatal and neonatal outcomes for pregnancies complicated by congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). Presently, assessing CMV... (Review)
Review
: Numerous studies have aimed to predict prenatal and neonatal outcomes for pregnancies complicated by congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). Presently, assessing CMV severity prenatally relies largely on fetal imaging. A controversy exists regarding CMV viral load (VL) and its association with fetal and neonatal sequelae. : To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the association between CMV DNA VL in amniotic fluid and fetal and neonatal outcomes in pregnancies with congenital CMV. : All cohort, case-control and observational studies that compared outcomes of fetuses with congenital CMV and provided information on individual patient CMV VL quantified in copies per milliliter (c/mL) from inception to January 2023 were included, with no geographical or language restrictions. A total of 1251 citations were reviewed with eight studies meeting inclusion criteria and included in meta-analysis. Affected pregnancies had a higher VL in the amniotic fluid compared to those unaffected with a mean difference of 2.2e+7 (range 1.5e+7 to 2.8e+7). In subgroup analysis, the VL was significantly higher in the fetuses, with imaging findings related to CMV compared to asymptomatic fetuses with a mean difference of 4.1e+7 (95% CI 2.8e+7-5.4e+7). However, among babies with congenital CMV, the VL was not significantly different between symptomatic and asymptomatic babies. : Amniotic fluid CMV VL is associated with fetal sequalae in congenital CMV, with a higher VL conferring a greater risk for prenatal injury.
PubMed: 38610901
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13072136 -
Journal of Gastrointestinal Cancer Jun 2024Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) is a well-established surgical technique in treating patients with early gastric cancer. However, the efficacy and safety of LAG... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Comparative Study Review
BACKGROUND
Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) is a well-established surgical technique in treating patients with early gastric cancer. However, the efficacy and safety of LAG versus open gastrectomy (OG) in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) remains unclear.
METHODS
We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library in June 2023 for RCTs comparing LAG versus OG in patients with AGC. We pooled risk ratios (RR) and mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for binary and continuous endpoints, respectively. We performed all statistical analyses using R software version 4.3.1 and a random-effects model.
RESULTS
Nine RCTs comprising 3827 patients were included. There were no differences in terms of intraoperative complications (RR 1.14; 95% CI 0.72 to 1.82), number of retrieved lymph nodes (MD -0.54 lymph nodes; 95% CI -1.18 to 0.09), or mortality (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.30 to 2.83). LAG was associated with a longer operative time (MD 49.28 minutes; 95% CI 30.88 to 67.69), lower intraoperative blood loss (MD -51.24 milliliters; 95% CI -81.41 to -21.06), shorter length of stay (MD -0.83 days; 95% CI -1.60 to -0.06), and higher incidence of pancreatic fistula (RR 2.44; 95% CI 1.08 to 5.50). Postoperatively, LAG was also superior to OG in reducing bleeding rates (RR 0.44; 95% CI 0.22 to 0.86) and time to first flatus (MD -0.27 days; 95% CI -0.47 to -0.07), with comparable results in anastomotic leakage, wound healing issues, major complications, time to ambulation, or time to first liquid intake. In the long-term analyses at 3 and 5 years, there were no significant differences between LAG and OG in terms of overall survival (RR 0.99; 95% CI 0.96 to 1.03) or relapse-free survival (RR 0.99; 95% CI 0.94 to 1.04).
CONCLUSION
This meta-analysis of RCTs suggests that LAG may be an effective and safe alternative to OG for treating AGC; albeit, it may be associated with an increased risk for pancreatic fistula.
Topics: Humans; Stomach Neoplasms; Gastrectomy; Laparoscopy; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Operative Time; Postoperative Complications; Length of Stay; Treatment Outcome; Blood Loss, Surgical
PubMed: 38564116
DOI: 10.1007/s12029-024-01048-0